The State of Engagement™: Partisans
Partisans really want to be Ambassadors or Champions – invest a bit of time in them, and they’ll be of much more benefit to the overall success of your organisation.
This company can’t do any wrong in my eyes. It’s always looked after me so I’ll do whatever I can to help.
If you know someone who supports a football team, they will probably display some if not all of the traits of a Partisan. Wild euphoria at their team’s success, encouragement rather than criticism when something doesn’t work out, always looking for the positives even in the face of obvious problems.
While a Partisan has the above in abundance, they lack in their ability to be objective, reserved and their overall comprehension of the bigger picture. Their blind allegiance to the company could be rooted in many things – long service, good pay and conditions, or they might come from a family who have always had a strong emotional connection to the brand.
Partisans want to help, but don’t always make the best decisions when seeking to emphasise their loyalty. Their numbers tend to be quite low but if you have some, you should invest time in building understanding, with a view to moving them towards the Ambassador or Champion profiles. After all, that’s probably where they really want to be.
